You don't need kerosene, but it used to be recommended as an efficient way to dissolve gummed up oil and grease. You can start with a thin spray can oil if there's lots of grime that needs to come off and you are impatent. That said, regular sewing machine oil will do exactly (!!) the same job, it just takes a bit longer. These days there are fancy oils, much the same stuff but with the improvement of teflon; I like Triflow and Finish Line Ceramic Wet Lube (bike shops and other places).
You need to get the machine on a table in a heated room. Isn't there anyone you can ask, or maybe you can get the machine on a small trolley or handcart? Don't worry about you skills, once you get your hands on the machine and read the manual it will all come to you. Before you hand it in some where you probably need to clean and oil it.